Guest Post ~ The Write Romantics

It was back in February when the Write Romantics decided to publish a short story anthology to raise money for charity. My nephew, Thomas who is three, has cystic fibrosis and at the time he was in hospital for two weeks with a chest infection. I remember coming home one evening to discover that the other Write Romantics had settled that half the proceeds would go to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust to help other children like Thomas.

Alys and her nephew

The other charity that we’re supporting is the Teenage Cancer Trust. Like many people we were touched by the tremendous courage of Stephen Sutton. He was such an inspiration that it was an easy decision to try to raise money to help other teenagers facing the terrible challenges of living with cancer.

In many ways deciding on the charities was the easy bit. Then we had to write the stories which, as aspiring and soon-to-be published novelists, was a bit of a challenge. It turns out that most of us are far happier writing 100,000 words than 5,000. We asked our writing friends for help and were delighted, and somewhat stunned, when eleven of them said yes. Alison May, author of Sweet Nothing and Holly’s Christmas Kiss, said she was happy to get involved because, ‘I love Christmas. I love short stories. I love the Write Romantics, and these are two incredible charities’. Kerry Fisher, author of The School Gate Survival Guide, explained that, 'It is my absolute pleasure to support a fundraising initiative that can help families battling with these terrible diseases'.

During the summer, I spent my weekends proof reading stories. I knew they were good when, despite the heatwave outside, I started to feel that Christmas was only just around the corner and that cold winter days and snow couldn't come soon enough.

The Write Romantic Press
8 November 2014

There’s twenty-four stories in the anthology and, although they’re all warm-hearted and likely to leave you smiling, there’s a tremendous variety in them. There’s wonderful romance in Meet Me at Midnight by Rachael Thomas and The Other Side of Christmas by Sharon Booth. There’s comedy in Loving Mr Perfect by Holly Martin and The Handsome Stranger by Alison May.Jo Bartlett looks at the challenges of finding love in All the Wrong Places and Muriel’s Christmas Surprise by Jennifer Bohnet shows you’re never too old for a new romance. There’s also a few old flames, a spot of heartache, family reunions, a sexy vicar and lots and lots of snow.

So if you’re looking for stories to make you feel good this winter then ‘Winter Tales – Stories to Warm Your Heart’ will do the trick. Not only will you enjoy 24 amazing stories but you’ll have the warm glow of knowing that all the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to support the incredible work of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the Teenage Cancer Trust.